Practice profile

Martin graduated with a First Class Honours law degree at the University of Hong Kong and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with Distinction at the University of Oxford. He was also awarded Distinction in the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws programme at the University of Hong Kong and came first in the litigation stream, winning a number of advocacy prizes. He was awarded the Bar Scholarship 2013 and Charles Ching Memorial Scholarship 2013.

Martin is developing a broad civil practice in areas such as commercial, company, insolvency, building management, conveyancing and general civil litigation.

Martin regularly appears on his own or as a led junior in a wide variety of civil matters, both at first instance and on appeal. He has experience in and is able to conduct civil trials alone in the Chinese language.

Kazuo Okada v The Registrar of Companies [2018] HKCFI 2778, commercial judicial review on the right of the Registrar of Companies to withhold registration of a Form ND2A and general review of the operation of the statutory scheme under Division 4 of Part 2 of the Companies Ordinance (Cap 622)

Re Okada Holdings Ltd, HCMP 1324/2017 – mandatory injunctions restraining the exercise of shareholder rights and stay of action in favour of parallel proceedings in the Tokyo courts, in the context of a shareholders’ dispute relating to a listed entertainment company in Tokyo

Re Soka Gakkai International of Hong Kong Ltd [2017] 4 HKLRD 192 – decision concerned the legal principles relating to the inspection of register of members under s.631 of the Companies Ordinance

Land, probate and trusts

Herman Budihardjo v Hadi Gunawan [2018] HKCFI 1450, acted for the successful defendant in a 23-day trial in the context of a family trust dispute

Jong Yat Kit v Lee Man For [2018] 5 HKC 216, acted for the professional administrator in the administration of an estate in excess of HK$800 million

Yu Fung Co Ltd v Olympic City Properties Ltd[2017] 2 HKLRD 406 (and on appeal in [2018] HKCA 323), acted for the interested party in staying the writ of possession. Judgment concerned the question of whether it is an abuse of process for an occupant, who was not a party to and did not participate in prior possession proceedings, is entitled to subsequently bring a fresh action to claim adverse possession

Zhao Shaoyuan v Chan Mee Lin [2018] HKCFI 1658, a case involving the fight between the wife and concubine of the right to possession of the deceased’s corpse

General civil

Beauty Forever v Cheung Lai Ngor & Ors, HCA 199/2015 (12 March 2015), acted for employee defendants of a beauty parlour in a case involving claims of restraint of trade and breach of confidentiality; successfully resisted an interlocutory injunction for restraint of trade

Chan Lap Kit v Yushun Technology Ltd [2018] 1 HKLRD 192, appeal involving an issue of the application of the tracing rules to sub-currency accounts in an integrated bank account and the right of the Court of Appeal to revisit leave to appeal granted by the lower courts

D v S [2017] 2 HKLRD 940 – sexual harassment in the employment context; claim under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance; application of the costs provision under s.73B of the District Court Ordinance

Wu Han Rong v Hilda Chan Hor Yee, CACV 135/2015 (18 December 2015), appeal involved a point of law on the distinction between an “investment” and a “loan” for the purpose of determining the applicability of the Money Lenders Ordinance

Yu Hing Tong v Fung Hing Chiu Cyril [2016] 5 HKLRD 567, decision concerned whether an agent had the locus standi to commence an action in the name of the principal pursuant to a power of attorney

China Metal Recycling (Holdings) Ltd v Chun Hei Man, HCMP 3396/2015, acted for the liquidator plaintiffs in a contempt trial in relation to allegations of breach of undertakings and breach of Mareva injunction

Glory Link Investments Ltd v Young Pui York [2016] 4 HKC 157, acted for the judgment creditor in seeking an imprisonment order against the judgment debtor; decision concerned the principles relating to a judgment debtor’s liability for imprisonment for failure to satisfy a judgment sum.

La Dolce Vita Fine Dining Co Ltd v Zhang Lan [2018] HKCFI 548, acted for the plaintiffs in a contempt trial in the context of contractual disputes relating to the South Beauty chain of restaurants in Mainland China

TYM v WSP, FCMP 309/2014, successfully resisted an application for a Hadkinson order on the ground of failure to comply with an interim payment order; decision concerned the constitutionality of Hadkinson orders and whether the English approach of absolute liability for defaulting judgment debtors should be applied in Hong Kong

YBL v LWC (No 2) [2017] 2 HKLRD 783, acted for the husband appellant in the Court of Appeal in the context of a judgment summons application. Judgment concerned the power of the Court to dispose of bail money upon successful appeal against a committal order, and whether such power overrides any prior Quistclose trust enjoyed by the successful appellant, and the proper approach to depriving a successful appellant of his costs of the appeal